Homecoming pride sets in Friday

Wednesday

Oct 18, 2017 at 3:52 PM

In this space last week it was written that Friday night's game would be a close — evenly matched contest that should come down to turnovers and limiting big play — those two factors were correct, the evenly matched contest, however, was not even close.

Cole Sherman / Stuttgart Daily Leader

Stuttgart systematically annihilated the Riverview Raiders Friday night in front of a capacity homecoming crowd. The Ricebirds used 523 yards of total offense to score eight touchdowns in route to a 52-22 win.

In this space last week it was written that Friday night’s game would be a close — evenly matched contest that should come down to turnovers and limiting big play — those two factors were correct, the evenly matched contest, however, was not even close.

The Ricebirds dominated Riverview from the opening kickoff to the final horn. Stuttgart played easily their most complete game of the season and in doing so are now seeing once fickle fans rejoin the Ricebird band wagon.

The biggest difference in head coach Josh Price’s team, compared to several weeks ago, aside from eliminating turnovers, is the unreal physicality and effort that they are playing with. Stuttgart pounded the Raiders into submission Friday night, unmasking a soft defense, while putting the rest of the conference on notice for the remainder of the season.

In terms of skill and talent, Stuttgart is nowhere near 30 points better than Riverview. The Raiders have three players on offense who are every bit the athlete of Stuttgart’s best. The Raiders, however, are nowhere near as physical as are the Ricebirds.

J.T. Smith, arguably the most talented player in the conference, for the second season in a row, could not — or would not, finish the game. Dondra Spears, another highly skilled player, paid a heavy price every time he touched the ball.

Stuttgart jumped in front, leading 13-0 at the end of the first quarter on the shoulders and legs of Kirk Hughes. Hughes played his most complete game since his sophomore year Friday night, finishing with 165 yards on only 17 carries. The senior scored three touchdowns while averaging 9.7 yards per rush. At times Friday night it looked as though Hughes was running with something to prove as he rarely went down from initial contact and routinely broke multiple tackles when he touched the ball.

Riverview scored their first points of the night at the 11:54 mark of the second quarter when J.T. Smith took a broken play and raced 56 yards to the end zone. On the play Smith’s talent was evident. What was unclear all night however was why the senior is not more involved in the Raider offense.

Stuttgart answered quickly with 7:55 to play in the half when Timquorian Johnson scored from eight yards out to make the score 20-7. The Ricebirds would score twice more in the first half, taking a 38-7 lead into the locker room.

Riverview made adjustments at halftime, the most glaring of which was simply attempting to match Stuttgart’s intensity. The Raiders came out in the third period and scored twice to cut the lead to 38-22. Both touchdowns were the result of big plays where the Ricebirds simply missed tackles. Starting safety Dontranele Robinson was also hobbled from a second quarter injury, aiding in the Raiders success.

Stuttgart answered following the Raider scoring run and put the game away with a 14-point spurt in the fourth quarter. Riverview on the other hand failed to cross into Ricebird territory the rest of the game.

While several Stuttgart players had peak performances, no Ricebird played at a higher level Friday night than did David Walker.

Walker, a junior defensive end, has been the Ricebirds’ most consistent defensive lineman all season. For the night, Walker would account for six tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery. Walker also scored a touchdown while rushing three times. Walker’s play this season will almost certainly place his name on the radar of college coaches during the off-season.

Up next for the Ricebirds is a big road test at Helena-West Helena Central. The Cougars are 6-1 with the one loss being a 35-26 defeat to Riverview. Helena defeated Lonoke Friday night 6-0. Cad Polk Stadium is always a difficult place to play because of both the Cougars’ ability as well as the horrendous facilities that the road team must endure.

Following week No. 8's results it will be time to look forward to potential postseason positioning, but for now, Stuttgart is simply focused on continuing their rise back to the top of the conference and hope for a couple of teams to knock off Southside Batesville along the way.

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